


Rivers in Egypt

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-12
Updated: 2002-02-12
Packaged: 2019-05-15 12:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14790782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Observations by CJ on Josh and Donna.





	Rivers in Egypt

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

 

Rivers in Egypt  
Summary: Observations by CJ on Josh and Donna

Category: Josh/Donna

Rating: G

Disclaimer: Not mine. Which is probably a good thing. Also, the term "pedeconferencing" isn't mine either. It belongs to www.mightbigtv.com

Spoilers: Hmm....17 People.

 

They're adorable.

Really, they are.

Odd thing for the Press secretary to be saying about the Deputy Chief of Staff and his assistant, but there it is.

Adorable.

I've had a distinct feeling that those two would be trouble when Josh came bouncing into a Staff meeting- yes, literally bouncing; it was an odd sight- and announcing "Donna's back! I'm gonna keep her!" I quickly pointed out that Donna was not his to keep. Josh just grinned at me.

The man was smitten, I tell you. And while smitten is not one of the terms I usually use to describe Josh Lyman, at that point, he was.

He's not smitten anymore though.

Nope, he's moved onto undying love, I think.

Anyways, I'm watching them banter outside his office. Those two can bring the banter. They've definitely set the standard for bantering in the halls of the Wing. Also pedeconferencing. Those hallway meetings, moving from one official meeting to the next? That's pedeconferencing. Those two have it down to a science.

Again, adorable.

Donna tilts her head to the side and gives Josh a priceless look. Josh throws his hands in the air and shakes his head. Donna grins and they retreat to their respective desks. Donna apparently won some argument.

I'll bet he's giving her flowers again this year. Donna doesn't like it; she thinks he's doing it to spite her. Which he is, in part. But he's also genuinely happy that she came back to him.

Which poses the question: when did it become that Donna came back to Josh, as opposed to the job, or the campaign?

Hmm.

Anyway, the flowers. Every April, he sends her flowers. Every April, she gets angry at him. It's a vicious circle. Mainly vicious for Josh; last year she withheld his schedule until he explained the reasoning behind the flowers. His explanation was: "It's our anniversary." I thought it was, again, adorable. Donna was less thrilled. "I came to work for you in February, this is April. You're a moron." This lead to a lengthy discussion regarding Dr. Freeride, Wisconsin, and Josh's inability to read calendars. Unfortunately, I won't be here for the traditional argument, but I'm sure I'll hear about it from Josh. He feels a compulsion to share, in play-by-play form, any major conversation with Donna.

Including that "no self-worth" speech.

Course, that one I heard about from Donna first. She was really hurt. Hurt to the point of contemplating quitting. Once I'd convinced her quitting was a very bad idea- not only for and Josh, but the rest of us- I told her Josh was probably jealous. She thought I'd gone crazy. But I stuck with my story, and I'm pretty sure she believed me.

Then, in a bar about a week after the State of the Union, while Josh, Toby, and Donna were engaged in a very serious conversation about punctuation, Sam relayed the details of a conversation Josh and him had earlier that week. Apparently, Josh was puzzled as to why Donna kept pushing a date with Joey Lucas. Sam asked if Josh got jealous when Donna went on dates. Josh denied it, but in the next breath claimed to "do everything within my considerable capability to sabotage them." I know this is a direct quote, cause Sam was making quote marks in the air with his fingers the whole time.

I hate the air quote marks.

Then Josh confirmed any and all suspicions when he came over and spilled his guts about a certain conversation with Joey Lucas. Apparently, even Joey, who we rarely see, picked up on the distinct vibe those two have. And she told Josh about it. I believe the direct quote was, "If you polled a hundred Donna's, asking if we should go out, you'd get a positive response. But what the poll wouldn't tell you, is that its cause she likes you, and she knows it's beginning to show, so she's misdirecting." Or something along those lines; Josh was really drunk by then.

Yet, since then, nothing.

Those two have returned to denial mode.

I commented on it to Toby once; he agrees. He kinda agrees they're adorable, in his own, cynical, gruff, Toby-like way. Anyway, denial. They both know how they feel; they just don't know how the other feels. And, they know that there would be some pretty bad PR problems. It could get ugly, I acknowledge that. But it could be spun, made pretty, and sent into oblivion. But they don't know this. So they return to denial, being friends, the banter, all that.

It's safe for them.

But frankly, it's driving the rest of us crazy. If Joey Lucas picks up on it in roughly 36 hours without even being able to hear the tones those two use, and manages to call Josh on it, you can imagine how the rest of us are. Josh and Donna as they are is just normal. Example: No one thought it was weird when Donna practically lived with Josh while he was out for three months. No one dared question Donna's rules, cause it was normal. And no one thought it was out of line for Donna to go to Leo at Christmastime, worried about Josh. It wasn't odd to have Donna take care of Josh and his cut-up hand and probably his spirit Christmas Eve. Donna mentioned that he'd come over to her apartment a lot then. After the party, when he cut his hand, he went to Donna. Nothing out of the ordinary.

They both realized how much they need each other at that time. So I figured they might go the next step and come to the conclusion that they were hopelessly in love, and get it over with.

Nope.

Denial, I tell you.

"Hey, CJ, you look deep in thought. Whatcha thinkin' about?" Josh asks, dropping on my couch.

"Rivers in Egypt," I reply. I laugh at the puzzled look on Josh's face.

He'll get it, eventually.

 

THE END

 


End file.
